While in SF, between the madness i simply had to make time to stop by and visit the folks behind the incredible products and packaging of Incase! If you haven’t noticed over the years, i’m a bit of an Incase junkie ~ their design aesthetic, product concepts and details, and their understated hyper-functional stunning packaging skills are just irresistible. The user experience of their products from the time you see an image of them, or spot it on the street or in a store… to the time it’s in your hands being unboxed and being put to good use ~ is just so well thought out. No wonder their tagline is “A better experience through good design.”

Well, i’m honored they let me take a peek into their SF studio space, and it was just as inspiring and minimalist as you’d imagine. Clean black and whites ~ turn tables, couches, and a bathroom waiting for your doodles…. wiped clean weekly, and re/decorated by everyone that visits… check out some of their boxes i had yet to see in person… and the patterns that magically transform into those bags we love… and perhaps most interesting, what inspires THEM! A fantastic mix of goodies discovered while shopping in japan interspersed with their products greet you in their gallery space… on to the pics on the next page!

So now you’ve seen the creatures of the California Academy of Sciences ~ ready to see what the scene was like for NightLife (their Thurs late night party/events ~ with drinks, food, djs, and more)… basically imagine going to an incredibly awesome museum/science center… but no kids! and the scene is like a 25-55 singles/date night! and as the evening progresses, the drunkeness runs a bit rampant… definitely have to feel for the poor museum folks who had to chase a few inebriated folks through the rather steep planetarium… and those starfish in the tidepools where it’s one hand in the tank and the other holding your beer with your arm around your girl… Interesting scene. And BEAUTIFUL space! Definitely worth doing the VIP tour if you’ve never been, since you get some behind the scenes sneak peeks, checking out the roof in a tiny group of about 15, skipping the rainforest queue, a look in the Vault, reserved passes for the planetarium show (and they let you in first!)… oh, and open bar too. Anyhow, take a peek at the experience!

So many pictures i didn’t even know where to start ~ while in SF, i finally got to check out the California Academy of Sciences ~ did the Nightlife VIP tour (really, if you can, its perfect! You actually get to have the fun of Nightlife, but without the lines, so you can see everything in the few hours ~ including reserved spots for the planetarium ~ and an open bar)… The space is beautiful! So first, CREATURES! A look at some of the critters encountered… and in the next post you can check out the space… check out the pics on the next page! Everything from (what look like) hummingbird lollipops, frogs galore, living walls, albino gators, dino poop and more…

Mmmm Labor Day ~ nicest thing about a monday off seems to be inbox is slowing down and i can relax and work and catch up a bit! Lots in progress to show you from the whirlwind SF trip!!! So many pics… but for now, here’s a roundup to get you going, click the pics to find out more!

Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl did an interview with me for the Gap “Born To _____” Campaign… you can check out the interview. but even more fun, on the next page as an added bonus to go with it, i’ve finally decided to share a bit more of what my “office” is like in my house! So be nice, and don’t mind the mess ~ it’s a real work space, not a staged set up… i shot the pics bright and early before hitting the road to drive up to SF at 7am! But you can get a peek at the things that surround and inspire me! Pics on the next page…

The Bloomframe is a reality! Not that it wasn’t real before when i posted about it about 2.5 years ago, but now its in production!!! There is something so thrilling about watching these ideas grow and garner so much interest as concepts and make it into working production models! And don’t take my word for it… there’s even a VIDEO! See the video and more pics on the next page! If i had a second story, i’d definitely want one!

“The Bloomframe® balcony, designed by Hofman Dujardin Architects and developed and manufactured by Hurks geveltechniek, is the winner of the prestigious Wallpaper* Design Award 2009 in the category Most-life-enhancing-product.” Additionally it’s picked up - 1st prize Audi Design Award 2008, 1st prize Red Dot Design Award 2008 Germany, Nomination Index Design Award 2009 Denmark, Nomination Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2009, and Nomination MKB Innovation Top 100 2009. And there are various options/sizes/etc ~ take a peek at more pics (and the video!) on the next page!

I know, we’re not supposed to propagate the beauty myth that thinner is better, but i just can’t stop walking into the room, and pausing for a moment to look at how ridiculously thin this Samsung LED TV is! As i mentioned before, while working with Samsung on this sponsorship, i fell in love and bought one! And in all honesty, it’s been amazing! Beyond the little pebble remote i showed you ~ my dad even remarked that it was “frighteningly clear”, which i completely agree with - you almost feel like you can reach out and poke the people in the tv! (who are definitely larger than life on the 55”).

But on the tech side of it ~ its just gorgeous ~ ridiculously thin (Wunderland War Monkey Assassin will help give you some scale… especially compared to my previously thin panasonic)… seriously its the kind of thing where it may actually be thinner than some canvases i have hanging… talk about that future where we’d have moving pictures as hanging artwork? AND widgets! the UI on these Yahoo! ConnectedTV widgets for things like twitter and youtube are just stunning… See the pics on the next page!

Just checked out the preview of Mike Shinoda’s Glorious Excess (Dies) show at the Japanese American National Museum, the follow up to his Glorious Excess (Born) show last year. It’s stunning ~ a definite must see ~ and what’s nice is that besides the fact that the work is technically beautiful and a fun mix of skulls, urban art, “vanitas”, mixed media wallpapering with gossip rags, a casket and silver skeleton, video and more… the way it all comes together as a thought provoking look at the life (and death) of celebrity through paparazzi and the consumption engine behind it all is fascinating ~ especially coming from Shinoda who is most known for Linkin Park and Fort Minor, and he is also an Art Center trained graphic artist and illustrator. Take a look at the images on the next page to get a feel for the flow from excessive living to implosion to death to ascension… and if you make it to the actual show, the video that ties the whole show together is definitely worth sitting in on! (Love that he actually filmed what it was like being on the “star home” bus tours - and captured the world of the paparazzi from the red carpet perspective) - Take a look at the pics on the next page! Some really stunning pieces!

On silly weekend posts ~ while installing snow leopard last night ~ and when popping by CVS, i coludn’t resist the cheaper of the vibrating mascaras to poke at. And to be fair, i just ran out of my favorite Shu Uemura one, so figured, why not? give it a try?… unfortunately its so goopy i’m not so much a fan… so while waiting around for the install, started pulling i apart, and making silly videos to show you too… in case you were curious what was inside that little vibrating tube… So here’s the deconstruction of the Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara ~ it’s the more affordable drugstore cousin of the Lancome Oscillation Vibrating Infinite Powermascara, Estee Lauder TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara, and Prescriptives Motor-Eyes Instant Action Mascara. (Isn’t the naming kind of mind blowing?) Some of these you have to hold the button down to activate the vibrations, others have a twist on/off switch. I suppose if you have other toys/phones in your purse, this could be another reason why your purse/pocket/etc starts to randomly vibrate (button gets held down in there?)… and they make pocket USB vibrators that look like lipsticks, so i guess it only makes sense to make an actual mascara with the same little vibrating motor? Whether people are using these mascaras for other forms of amusement is unknown to me… but if you’re curious to see what’s inside, and watch it shake… video and pics on the next page!

I have a thing for polycarbonate suitcases… something about that sleek pod of light perfectly packedness that gets scuffed up so nicely… while i have my carry-on silver hideo wakamatsu and a check-in black zero halliburton polycarb… i’m still totally lusting over this Mandarina Duck DROP! (Despite the overly flashy website that i just sat and screenshotted far too much of to share with you and spare you the experience) It still remains to be seen what the interior breakdown and details are like (and packaging?) but the exterior is looking quite sleek… and some of the sayings on their pics are worth a giggle (“design victim”… wouldn’t it be nicer to say “design indulgences” or something more positive?)… take a peek at some details and screenshots on the next page!

There are flashlights ~ and there are super bright flashlights ~ and then there are super bright flashlights with legs of their own that will wrap themselves around just about anything and magnetically hold on… The Joby GorillaTorch that is coming out soon is definitely in that last category. I took it on a walk to dinner last night, and firstly, it was hard to have it NOT become a fidget toy. Secondly, the thing is BRIGHT, like stop traffic bright, or accidentally blind yourself a little if you accidentally turn it on aimed at the glossy table bright. But i suppose that should be no surprise at 65 lumens ~ and it runs on a mere 3 AA batteries (so easy to use rechargeables!) It’s available for pre-order now, but i’ve got a few peeks at my hands on with it now! And it’s got a tiny ultra=bright CREE LED bulb ~ which basically looks like a tiny dab of clear nailpolish on a circuit board…Check it out on the next page!

p.s.
i’m loving this one as a backup light for emergencies and travel! (especially camping/safari-ing/etc)

Freshly launched today ~ Incase’s latest incarnation of their classic iPhone Slider cases ~ Monochrome Slider Cases ~ this time with glossy tops and soft touch bottoms… while at first i wasn’t sure if the color palette was for me (the colors do have fun names like celery green)… when they sent samples over, the PACKAGING just blew my mind. again. as usual. I don’t know, those Incase guys are pretty much my favorite packaging folks out there these days. This time it is a clear/black matte plastic sleeve with a molded black cardboard tray that slips into it, but due to the molding won’t slip all the way though… And the way the contours of the white plastic liner really highlight the case so nicely! Also, the super simple subtle little S stand is awesome ~ holding up your iphone for perfect desk viewing both horizontally and vertically. Anyhow, enough with the text ~ just go see the pics on the next page already!

JimmyJane has been expanding their product line quite a bit ~ and the latest addition is the Contour Q pair of ceramic massage stones! They also work beautifully together with the Contour M… and while i’ve seen pictures of them for some time, seeing them in person, they gorgeously simple as is expected of JimmyJane, and they are more like mini porcelain sculptures you can hold in your hand! They are “Body-friendly, double-fired porcelain is hygienic and non-porous and can be warmed or cooled for extra stimulation.” Also fun? The cheeky pink interiors of the packaging have sayings tucked away… including a “for a good time call…” message if you take all of the packaging out of the Contour M Set… Take a look at all the details up close on the next page!

Previously i showed you PACT Yves Behar designed undies for a cause… and the packaging was the biggest mystery, with the packaging/labels that biodegrade in 45 days, and the little pouches that each underwear comes in… well it arrived! So take a peek… honestly i dont know that it *looked* the price it cost the way it arrived… BUT they feel amazing, and look great on. The little pouches look a lot like a Baggu pouch (only made of matching print cloth).

Take a peek at the close ups of the packaging and product on the next page!

So when my friends over at Rocket World reached out asking for some design help they thought it would be nice to ask you all for some help as well! The Creature Hoodies have been such a hit ~ and they are adorably cozy (fleece as fine as you’ll find from folks like Patagonia ~ but less branding and even cooler little details you never even dreamed of, but can’t live without once trying it!)… You can see lots of pics of the latest one (with removable ears - and swappable horns - with no face) from the giveaway post from the holidays… and for a chance to win one of the 2010 Creature Hoodies (that you will help decide the fate of) plus a Rocket World Gift Bag ~ and two runners up will also get gift bags! Anyhow, if you’re feeling nice, please check out the possibilities for the 2010 Creature Hoodie on the next page and more details on how to share your opinion!

p.s.
not to bias you, but i’m all about 3b or 4a… can’t decide between the black or grey yet…